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Hallucinations

letty61
letty61 Member Posts: 21
10 Comments
Member
in Caring for a Parent
My mom keeps having these hallucinations about someone who stole an inheritance that supposedly my father left ( he has been dead for 19 years now and left us nothing ) , she is insisting I call the police or get a lawyer to help find this man to get him apprehended , I just don't know how to respond to her , don't want to make things worse by telling her I called the police or got a lawyer ..I'm scare I might make the situation worse in her mind .

Comments

  • M1
    M1 Member Posts: 6,788
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    Hi letty and welcome to the forum. Talk to her doctors. Probably the only thing that will help in this situation is medication to tamp down the hallucinations and paranoia.

  • Anonymousjpl123
    Anonymousjpl123 Member Posts: 698
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    hi @letty61 and welcome to the forum. Hallucinations and paranoia are quite common. The first, hardest, and most important lesson for me was not arguing. I had family members who tried that and it was a disaster. Medication can definitely help. Has your mom been diagnosed and is she otherwise getting treatment? This sounds like the time when it kind of becomes out of our (loved ones) control. I’m so sorry but glad you found this forum.

  • letty61
    letty61 Member Posts: 21
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    https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/204996#Comment_204996

    hi, thank youhttps://alzconnected.org/profile/812312/Anonymousjpl123 ,

  • letty61
    letty61 Member Posts: 21
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    Member

    Hello , Thank you …she hasn't been diagnosed yet we have been trying to find a neuropsychologist that speaks spanish but that has become a difficult task ..we just started taking her to a neurologist she was prescribe meds to help with the hallucinations but the hallucinations are getting worse to a point she became afraid of them and was hiding in her closet she wont allowed us to speak loud she's afraid they will hear us talking , I read so many different things about the hallucinations on what to do but I feel nothing my sister and I do is working , this is all new to us . I join this forum because I just needed a place I can come and vent and seek help and advice of anyone who is now or have dealt with this stage ..

  • letty61
    letty61 Member Posts: 21
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    Member
    https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/204956#Comment_204956

    Hi and thank you , so far the medication is not helping she's been on them for two weeks now I'm hoping and praying that the meds just needs time to work , I just want my mom back 😥

  • M1
    M1 Member Posts: 6,788
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    Letty what she needs is an antipsychotic, like Seroquel (quetiapine) or Risperdal (risperidone). There are others, but these are probably the most commonly prescribed and are generally well tolerated. It may be dose related, but you should have seen some response quicker than two weeks.

  • letty61
    letty61 Member Posts: 21
    10 Comments
    Member

    her geriatric dr prescribe her Haloperidol but all my siblings where against me given her that and to wait until I take her to a neurologist , the neurologist prescribed her risperidone she's been on them for two weeks now , but I don't see any changes , I called the dr and explain to her my moms hallucinations are getting worse and she is losing weight the dr she up her dose ..do I need to wait more time ??? ..

  • M1
    M1 Member Posts: 6,788
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    There are occasional adverse reactions to any of the drugs. If she's not better and not manageable at home, I would take her to the emergency room and have her admitted to a geriatric psych ward for stabilization. I realize the language barrier may be a problem, but if she's not safe at home, that may be your best option. I'm sorry. Keep us posted how it goes….

  • letty61
    letty61 Member Posts: 21
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    Member
    https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/205151#Comment_205151

    I reached out to her Dr and she is going to switch the meds , I'm hoping and praying the new meds will help her ..

  • Katie S
    Katie S Member Posts: 4
    First Comment
    Member

    I’m in a very similar boat all of the sudden. My mom had mild/harmless auditory hallucinations that became progressively worse when she started Aricept. We discontinued aricept after her hallucinations resulted in self harm. Now we’re on seroquel and there are brief moments of her old self but mostly she’s hearing voices and living out her day based on her fears and delusional thinking. It’s miserable and she has to be watched 24/7 in fear that she’ll hurt herself or leave the house and get lost. A month ago she was an entirely different person. I don’t know where my mom went.

  • letty61
    letty61 Member Posts: 21
    10 Comments
    Member

    hello Katie , when I read your comment I felt a connection with you , is exactly what is going on with my mom at the beginning the hallucinations where very mild , she was living Florida for many years but my sister was unable to care for her so we moved her back to NY , I believe the move hurt her more than anything she didn't want to leave her home and so the hallucinations became worse every day , she also lives in fear to the point we cant leave her alone anymore , she was taking risperidone for two weeks but it just wasn't working so yesterday the dr change her to Seroquel , I'm hoping this meds will help her or help her ease the hallucinations that have taking my mom hostage .. I hope your mom gets better , we must not give up and hold on to hope and faith .. praying for my mom and yours and all the moms out there who are also going through this horrible illness .. Keep faith

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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